2011-03-04 Reg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Kraft said he ran for City Council as he thought U City could be balanced without cutting services or raising taxes. The Fiscal Year 2012 draft budget meets that goal. He has seen the City Manager, colleagues, staff and citizens work together to make difficult decisions to guide the City through difficult economical times. Mr. Kraft said the propose FY 2012 budget cuts 1.1 million dollars compared to the current FY 2011 budget, with no cuts in City services. He noted that the 2012 draft budget actually has four more positions included in the police department. He said also the reserve funds are not used and remain available for capital projects or budget emergencies. Mr. Kraft said there are still many challenges ahead and he will avoid the interpersonal distractions that predate his joining the Council, as he focuses on that maintaining the City’s financial well-being. Ms. Ricci stated that after the deplorable meeting the Council had the last time she had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Crow which was a good first step. She said they talked about budgeting and noted they had philosophical differences where she does not think reserves should be used for general spending, especially since the City has had deficit budgets even with the several million dollars received from the cell phone litigation. At that rate the reserve will not be here very long. Ms. Ricci said they spoke a lot on economic development and felt that they had some good directions for University City. Mayor Welsch spoke on the Missouri House Bill 534 which would change the way in which sales taxes are distributed in St. Louis County. She has written a letter and worked with Mayor James McGee of Vinita Park to get 22 mayors from the 22 pooled “B” cities to sign the letter. If the bill would passes, U City would lose, at the low end, about 2.1 million dollars in annual revenue. Mayor Welsch said she has met with volunteers from University City and representatives from the St. Louis County Economic Development Council to talk about setting up a Chamber of Commerce in University City. Mayor said the next meeting will be March 25 at 11:45 a.m. and invited any interested parties to attend. She said having a Chamber would be of a great benefit for the community. She is looking for a time for the annual Council Retreat in late April or early May to look again at the Council’s strategic plan that they started on last year and to talk about their first year in office together. Mayor Welsch announced the tentative date for the State Audit report for Thursday, April 7 at 6:00 on the fifth floor of City Hall. The meeting was adjourned at 7:44 p.m. Joyce Pumm, MRCC City Clerk 8